Bangladesh, India and Nepal are set to start regular bus service with signing of a passenger protocol by June this year under BBIN Motor Vehicle Agreement.
Sources said the date for signing the passenger protocol will be finalised during a meeting to be held in Kathmandu on April 27 after trial run of Dhaka-Shiliguri-Kathmandu bus service.
The trial run of passenger bus will begin from Dhaka on April 23 and end in Kathmandu on April 26 with three-night halt in Rangpur of Bangladesh, Shiliguri of India and Bharatpur of Nepal.
Delegation members of the three nations except Bhutan and Asian Development Bank (ADB) will go on 1000-km journey by two buses.
Officials said all the three members have agreed to sign a letter of exchange (LoE) in presence of Bhutan during the Kathmandu meeting, allowing Bangladesh, India and Nepal to operate the bus service under the MVA.
They said the LoE will be attached to the MVA signed on June 15, 2015 and it will be considered a permit as Bhutan may join the BBIN at their convenient time.
"It is now a matter of time to start the regular bus service. The trial run will help finalise the passenger protocol on the service," said an official involved with the trial run of passenger bus.
He said the meeting will finalise the protocol based on the trial run which will ascertain road condition and other facilities to be needed for the passengers.
The LoE signing is considered an amendment to the BBIN MVA as Bhutan among the four-nation sub-regional block expressed its unwillingness to start seamless movement of vehicles immediately.
Chandan Kumar Dey, joint secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division, said the tri-nation bus service will help boost tourism and trade in the three neighbouring countries.
He said the passenger protocol will allow the three countries to operate passenger bus service using Rangpur-Banglabandh-Fulbari-Shiliguri-Panirtanki route.
At present, passengers use Lalmonirhat-Burimari-Changrabandha-Shiliguri route to go to Kathmandu.
According to the ministry of road transport and bridges, the decision on the route was taken during the meetings in India where all other BBIN members were present.
However, cargo vehicles will be plying both the routes as decided in the meeting.
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